10/09/2026
FORTUITOUS.
The recovery from Coffee Fest is no small thing.
I don't know about you, but once I get on the other side of a major milestone, there's this moment where I have an epic brain dump.
And suddenly, the next wave of to-dos comes flooding in.....on to the next thing.
So these weeks are always a little wonky. Recovering, still functioning day to day, and somehow trying to emerge with a plan for what's ahead.
Then enter Thursday.
Meetings. Dentist appointments. Errands. More meetings. A whole menagerie of tasks to accomplish.
And then it happened.
The fortuitous moment.
I was rushing back from my dentist appointment to help with storytime before my next meeting when I caught Erica getting ready to bring down all her supplies.
Naturally, I stopped to help.
She asked how I was doing. And well, it had been a morning.
So the only appropriate response was to word vomit all over her.
Parenting woes. Business life. The general chaos of trying to keep all the plates spinning.
And, quite literally, someone had JUST offered me toys to take home to my GRANDCHILDREN.
MY GRANDCHILDREN, PEOPLE. Apparently, it's been a rough week for my face, too.
Now inside the coffee shop, Erica gave me the most perfect hug.
I thanked her for the emotional support. It's amazing how much lighter the load feels when someone helps you carry it. Even for just a moment.
And then Erica said, "It's nice to repay the favor. Usually when I come for storytime, I'm the one spiraling and you're the one providing support. Today I'm doing great! I just forgot my tambourine. But other than that, I'm doing just fine."
Well.
Seeing as we now operate out of a church basement, I figured a tambourine might just be within reach.
I looked up....There was Irma.
Who, of course, knew EXACTLY where the tambourines were stored.
And just like that, our little Thursday morning needs were met.
FORTUITOUS.
A need was shared. A need was met.
Actually, more than one.
And I've been thinking about that little exchange ever since.
Because neither of us showed up that morning expecting to be what the other needed.
Erica didn't know I needed someone to listen, laugh with me, and give me a hug.
I didn't know she needed a tambourine.
And Irma certainly didn't know she'd be recruited into our little moment.
But there we were.
Life together.
The way God designed it.
And might I encourage you this Friday, friends?
Share your needs.
Even the little ones.
The frustrations that feel too trivial to mention. The burdens you think you should be able to carry yourself. The forgotten tambourines.
And when someone else shares theirs?
Listen. Laugh. Help. Give the hug.
You don't have to fix everything. Sometimes you just need to be there.
Because you never know when your ordinary Thursday might be someone else's fortuitous moment.
We weren't designed to carry life alone.
Happy Friday, friends.
